Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 26, 2026

In Vitro Model of Coronary Angiogenesis
Published on: March 10, 2020
Shared circuitry: developmental signaling cascades regulate both embryonic and adult coronary vasculature
Kory J Lavine1, David M Ornitz
1Washington University School of Medicine, Department of Developmental Biology, St Louis, MO 63110, USA.
Insights
New strategies for ischemic heart disease focus on stimulating new coronary artery growth using growth factors. This approach offers a potential noninvasive treatment for heart failure when traditional methods fail.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Biology
- Developmental Biology
- Regenerative Medicine
Background:
- Ischemic heart disease is a primary cause of heart failure and global mortality.
- Current treatments like angioplasty and bypass surgery restore blood flow but are not effective for all patients.
- A significant number of patients do not benefit from existing revascularization procedures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the embryonic development of the coronary vascular system.
- To explore signaling pathways involved in both embryonic and adult coronary vasculature formation.
- To discuss the potential of endogenous growth factors as a noninvasive therapeutic strategy for ischemic heart disease.
Main Methods:
- Review of major morphological events in embryonic coronary vessel formation.
- Analysis of key signaling cascades regulating coronary vascular development.
- Examination of mechanisms controlling adult coronary vasculature and their therapeutic potential.
Main Results:
- Identified key pathways governing embryonic coronary vascular development.
- Demonstrated that similar pathways regulate adult coronary vasculature.
- Highlighted the potential of these pathways for therapeutic angiogenesis in ischemic heart disease.
Conclusions:
- Understanding embryonic coronary development provides insights into adult vascular regulation.
- Endogenous growth factor-mediated angiogenesis presents a promising noninvasive therapeutic avenue.
- Further research into these pathways could lead to novel treatments for ischemic heart disease.
Abstract:
Ischemic heart disease is the most common cause of heart failure and is among the leading causes of mortality worldwide. Therapies used for the treatment of this disease aim to restore blood flow to severely narrowed or occluded coronary arteries by either catheter-based or surgical means. Although these strategies prove efficacious for many patients, a substantial number of individuals fail to improve following these procedures. Recently, a noninvasive strategy has been proposed, focusing on the use of endogenous growth factors that trigger the growth of new coronary arteries. Using the developing heart as a model, several groups have identified some of the key pathways that not only govern the development of the coronary vascular system but also promote the growth of the adult coronary vasculature. Here, we review the major morphological events and signaling cascades that mediate the formation of the coronary vasculature in the embryo. We further describe the mechanism by which many of these same pathways also regulate the adult coronary vasculature and their potential use in the treatment of ischemic heart disease.
Related Concept Videos
Regulation of Angiogenesis and Blood Supply
Development of Blood Vessels
The initial formation of this system is facilitated by the small amount of yolk present in the ovum and yolk sac. Blood vessels originate from...
Notch Signaling Pathway
The Notch gene came into the limelight in 1914 after the discovery that its mutation in Drosophila melanogaster leads to a serrated (or "notched") wing margin phenotype. It was not until 1985...
Notch Signaling Pathway
The Notch gene came into the limelight in 1914 after the discovery that its mutation in Drosophila melanogaster leads to a serrated (or "notched") wing margin phenotype. It was not until 1985...
Mechanism of Angiogenesis
Interactions Between Signaling Pathways
Convergence and divergence, and cross-talk between signaling pathways
Two distinct signaling pathways can converge on a single functional unit, which may either be a single protein or a complex of proteins. The response is either functionally distinct or synergistic between the two pathways but different from the response...

